


When You Smile

by ConstantWaffling



Series: RWBY HS AU [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, F/M, M/M, My First Fanfic, Other, Trans Character, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-09-07 01:23:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16844323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConstantWaffling/pseuds/ConstantWaffling
Summary: Penny Ironwood starts her first year at the illustrious Beacon High. Hilarity and legally gray antics ensue. This is basically just me seeing if I can actually do this. Enjoy. No guarantees for consistent updates.





	1. Model Behaviors

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, here we go! Please note that I am absolute garbage at writing dialogue. That being said, enjoy!

Penny Ironwood had forgotten to sleep. Normally this wouldn’t have been a problem, seeing as how Penny was used to setting her own schedule most of the time, what with her dads deciding to homeschool her till they deemed she was ready. This “ready” turned out to be her sophomore year of high school. 

  


And she had turned 15 last week. A week before she was supposed to start her first day at Beacon High, a school that her fathers had attended when they were her age. Now while Penny certainly didn’t hold any romantic notions regarding the school itself, she couldn’t deny she was more than excited to finally be able to spend some time with some other people that weren’t her fathers or cousins. Not that she didn't mind her cousins, but when the three of them got together things tended to explode or become otherwise utterly decimated. 

  


“Penny, for the love of Oum, get down here sometime in the next hour!” her father Qrow shouted.

  


Penny blurted out an affirmative noise, then proceeded to spend the next ten minutes or so having a minor breakdown at the thought of actually going to a normal school. This was her chance! A fresh start, even if it would be one for her alone. And while she had met her cousins and uncle during trips to the town of Beacon before, she had never really had a chance to explore the whole area. She was so excited she felt a little nauseous. 

  


That being said, in order to go through with all of this, she would have to get there on time. 

  


Practically throwing herself downstairs and into the kitchen, she was greeted by the sight of James and Qrow bleakly staring at each other over a pot of coffee. James straightened in his seat at her approach and donned his signature broadcaster smile.

  


“Penny! How’s my girl? Are you fully prepared? Do you have everything you need for today? Are you going to be okay with your, uh” he motioned down to her skirt, immediately regretting saying anything. 

  


Penny took it all in stride, knowing full well her father meant no harm “Yes father, I believe I am fully prepared for any possible events that may occur today!”

  


Qrow peered at her with a sly look over his mug “anything?” 

  


Penny took the bait “Yes! Anything!” 

  


James couldn’t resist joining in “So, let me propose a hypothetical to you. Let’s say this school ends up being full of clinically insane individuals with access to a vast arsenal of weaponry. What then?”

  


Qrow couldn’t help but smirk at his husband’s idea. Penny meanwhile, decided to seriously consider this.

  


“ I supposed I would probably be aware of the state of said individuals way before I would have to encounter them at close range. This would likely allow me to run or come up with a proper plan of action then.” You wouldn’t have guessed it looking at her slim build and height only being slightly taller than average, but she was trained in several martial arts in addition to proper firearm usage. With both James and Qrow working in security-related fields they considered self-defense an important part of Penny’s homebrew curriculum. 

  


Qrow chuckled to himself “Would you two listen to yourselves for a minute? You two sound like AI assistants instead of people. Honestly Penny, sometimes I wonder if you got anything genetics-wise from me at all.” 

  


At this James let out an indignant cry, reminiscent of some sort of demented waterfowl, which of course set Qrow howling, and soon the three of them were wiping happy tears away. 

  


As Penny was regaining her breath, she looked up at their kitchen clock.

  


“James? I think it’s about time to get a move on. We might already be a couple minutes late, and I sure wouldn’t want to disappoint potentially psychotic individuals.”

  


Qrow cracked a smile “You heard the lady, you should have been driving five minutes ago. You're gonna be late at this rate”

  


James looked attacked “Thanks in no small part to someone forgetting to set an alarm last night!”

  


“Well you’ll have to forgive me, sweetheart, I was, how do I put this, somewhat distracted at the time.” This set James blushing. Qrow smiled evilly. “Have a good day Penny.” He turned back to his now lukewarm coffee.

  


The drive over went smoothly. If by smoothly one meant James repeatedly drilled Penny on the appropriate contents of her bag.

  


“Remember Penny, no more bladed hair bows! You might think it’s a good idea, but just remember what happened the last time you accidentally fell into someone while wearing one of those.”

  


Penny didn’t bother responding, she simply turned up the volume on the cars’ radio and hummed along as they drove the last half a mile to the campus. She happened to be wearing a bright green bow that when the middle section was pressed three times in succession, would act as a conventional smoke grenade, with the only difference being this smoke smelled strongly of skunk. She hoped that this would serve as a deterrent should anything actually happen during her first day. 

  


The school building was unassuming. With one major building and two smaller ones off to either side of it. The main building rested at the top of a hill, meaning that some students would likely have to trek up the said hill on a daily basis. Lower down, the school had an obviously well-maintained tennis court, a full track surrounding a large field, and what Penny could’ve sworn was a pool covered up for the fall season. This place obviously had money.

  


“Father, how much exactly will it cost for me to attend here?” Penny was curious, but she didn’t let her voice betray too much. She didn’t want to potentially offend James with monetary matters she mostly didn’t need to be involved in. 

  


“Standard student admission is about $12,000 yearly, but with both myself and Qrow being former alumni from fairly influential families, they might just reduce it a tad bit. Not to mention your grandparents on Qrow’s side have agreed to pay a large part of the tuition for the first year.” His face softened a bit “you really are loved you know, I don’t think myself or Qrow would have had the support you do at your age. Both of our families had very clear paths cut out for the two of us, and as such made sure that whatever support they offered only helped us along with their predetermined paths.”

“Anyways, looks like I have to let you out here. Good luck!” 

  


“Who says luck will factor into this?” Truth be told, Penny was somewhat terrified. She nervously adjusted her bow and stepped into the main building.


	2. Questionable Chemistry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more of the cast is introduced, and my woefully incompetent writing continues to shine through. Enjoy!
> 
> P.S. Advance warning: I suck at writing Yang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah sorry for taking so long to write this. I genuinely suck at writing, and I wanted to post something somewhat coherent, so I didn't immediately put it out as soon as it was ready.

The interior of the building was standard school building fare. Linoleum flooring and drop ceiling tiles, with only the multiple display cases and a large amount of extravagant architecture being any indication of the school’s wealth. Penny went up to the front desk, where she was directed to an office down the hall, the door to which held a plaque that read: _Professor Ozpin, Principal._ Not wanting to be rude, she waited on a nearby bench. After a couple minutes of this, the door creaked open and a middle-aged man with white hair greeted her.

“You must be miss Ironwood. I’ve heard some… interesting things about you from your fathers, not to mention what I’ve heard in passing from your cousins. I look forward to you continuing your education here.” Penny flustered at this.

“Sir, I can assure you most of what you have heard from Qrow is likely untrue. As for what my cousins have said, I can promise you I will make an effort to behave myself while here.” She had a fair idea of what her father might have said to try and make Penny seem more accomplished than she actually was. When it came to her cousins she had no idea what they might've said. Ruby tended to blow things out of proportion when excited, and Yang was… Quite good at storytelling.

Ozpin decided to end the awkward conversation by handing a sheaf of papers to Penny before directing her down the hall to her first class.

“Those are for your parents, I thought it more efficient to just hand them off now rather than attempt to mail them. The class will already be in session, but I believe your teacher has been made aware of your arrival. Good luck Ms. Ironwood.” With that, he smiled and ducked back into his office.

Penny couldn’t have walked in at a less opportune time. A man with a shock of green hair had his back to Penny and was chuckling nervously as a seemingly corrosive substance slowly ate through a portion of a student’s desk.

“ Mr. Ark! While I am normally prepared to give one such as yourself the benefit of the doubt, I find it hard to believe that even you could have possibly spilled such a large amount of muriatic acid simply by bumbling about!” After finishing berating the student, he seemed to notice Penny’s presence.

“Oh dear me, I am so sorry Miss, where are my manners? I am professor Bartholomew Oobleck, chem teacher extraordinaire!” This was said with a sudden flourish that was more than unnecessary. “I am rather excited to welcome you to my class, especially seeing as if the rumors are to be believed, you are something of a chemist yourself?” At this, he nodded towards the bow Penny was wearing. Penny just sighed to herself, wondering just how many people Ruby had told about Penny’s admittedly odd hobby of making compact “practical” gear.

“Well Miss Ironwood, I figured that since most people were unwilling to, and you appear to be someone who can handle themselves in a dangerous situation, I thought I would seat you next to Yang.” At hearing her name from the back of the room, Yang looked over, saw Penny, and at that moment Penny swore she saw Yang wink at someone to her left as she got up from her desk and practically sauntered over to Oobleck.

“Finally! I only had to wait, what? A frickin’ month to get someone to work with! Honestly! At least now I know I can have some real fun.” She greeted Penny with a shark-like grin. Penny couldn’t help but smile back, knowing she meant no real threat but being all too familiar with her cousin’s reputation, seeing as she had helped to cement it further on several occasions.

“Nice to see you too! I look forward to repeatedly practicing emergency protocols with you.” This elicited another bit of nervous laughter from Oobleck.

“Let’s hope it won’t come to that. Miss Xiao Long, I know your father has no regards for his children’s personal safety, but I very much doubt James would feel similarly. So let’s keep the emergency situations to a minimum, shall we?”

The rest of the class passed smoothly, seeing as Yang had simply gotten the completed labwork from a girl with black hair and even darker clothing. Penny couldn’t help but notice she was wearing a bow. This one was black, and as far as Penny could tell didn’t have any combat capabilities. She hoped they could become friends.

“Hello there! My name is Penny, thank you for letting us use your work.” The girl glanced over, with Penny noticing a book between her legs.

“Hey. My name’s Blake, and yeah, no sweat about the work. Besides, I got it a period ago from somebody else, so I’m equally guilty in this case.”

“Thar is good to know. Do you mind if I ask what you are reading?” At this Blake flushed a deep crimson. Yang was the first to speak up.

“It’s probably some sort of smut. Honestly, Blake, we talked about this! You need to stop bringing fucking porn to class! Just remember what Glynda said: Next time it gets read aloud.” Blake slid further down into her seat.

Penny attempted to defuse the situation. “Well I will admit, that is an interesting choice read. Are you just a reader or do you write as well?”

Blake seemed happy for the topic change. “I write occasionally, not really my thing. I honestly just prefer seeing how others tell stories as opposed to trying to create my own. How about you? Any defining interests other than causing bodily harm to an innocent passerby, if Yang is to be believed?.”

Now it was Penny’s turn to fluster. “Well, I don’t really know what sort of interests one is supposed to have at our age. I mainly just tinker, although I suppose now I’ll have less unstructured time, so I really don’t know. But really, I don’t try and harm people. Things just explode sometimes. It’s just human error, I suppose.” At this Blake gave her a strange look, tilting her head a bit as if contemplating the jumble of words Penny had just said.

“Well, I hope that won’t apply to simply being around you, because it would be a shame if you wouldn’t be able to sit with our group at lunch.”

Penny perked up at this suggestion “I will try my best to refrain from creating explosions!”

Somehow Blake doubted this would be the case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah short chapter. Although I would expect average chapter length to be around 1,000 words. Although I will say expect the general length of each scene to decrease a bit so that I can actually move the story along. Please comment! I need help!
> 
> P.P.S I swear the next chapter will be sometime soonish. In the meantime I'm gonna reformat the entire thing. thanks


	3. A peaceful hillside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More from Penny's first day. More major players get introduced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I may have lied. I have no backlog and I definitely shouldn't plan on weekly releases. That being said, I will be working double time to try and make up for a month of nothing. So sorry for the delay.
> 
> Sidenote: I might do the reformatting at some point. but for now paragraph's won't be double spaced. So sorry about that.

After the minor trauma gained from chemistry, Penny felt ready for just about anything. That being said, the rest of her day was definitely not what she was expecting. 

Shuffling out the room, she decided to skip the obligatory locker stop in order to make it over to the other side of the building that housed the school’s art studio. This proved to be utterly pointless, as Penny noted finding the door locked upon her arrival. She nearly jumped when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

Wheeling around to face her assailant, Penny turned and practically smacked into an amused looking Blake. Grinning, Blake simply motioned to the middle of the door. Penny noticed a sticky note had been taped there: Meeting outside today.

“I figured you hadn’t gotten the memo, so I thought it would be best to make sure you actually found your way over.” Penny could see how hard Blake was trying to suppress a smirk. Clearly, it would take a while to suppress the rumors her cousins had spread.

“You don’t seem to have your trusty novella on you. Figured it wouldn’t be wise to avoid sharing the contents with those around you?” The comment was unexpected, and Penny took slightly perverse satisfaction in seeing a slightly blushing Blake briefly sputter. 

“Very funny. C’mon you, let’s try not to be too late.”

Outside the weather proved to be fairly pleasant, with a nearby group of students sitting in a small huddle around a single large oak on the campus’s lawn. A woman with startlingly bluish-white hair appeared to be gesticulating frantically at the assembled group. As Blake led Penny over she seemed to realize how odd she looked, and quickly grew into a more upright stance as the two students arrived. 

“You must be miss Ironwood. How nice to finally see you. Qrow talks about you quite often.”

“He does?” Penny was fairly certain she had never seen this lady before in her life, and certainly had never heard her father bring up someone of her description. Penny’s suspicion began to mount.

“My name is Winter.I don’t teach full time. If I did Weiss over there would likely have a stroke.” At this, she gestured over to a smaller, albeit much more menacing girl propped up against the oak. Upon hearing her name Weiss visibly tensed up, and everyone could hear her the tip of her pencil snap as she tried and failed to contain herself. Winter couldn’t help but grin at her sibling’s reaction.

“I work mainly in defense contracting, and within that area, I primarily focus on the testing end of things. Mainly making sure Qrow won’t kill the rest of us while he tinkers.” Qrow worked for a security firm and had taught Penny the bulk of what she knew regarding how not to work with dangerous materials. 

“Ah. Well then, I suppose it is nice to meet you as well. Though I really can’t believe my father hasn’t brought you up before. I assure you I pay close attention to him.”

Winter’s retort was instant “If you didn’t pay attention to him you probably would have lost a limb or two by now.” The two of them shared a chuckle at this. Failing to pay attention in the Ironwood household often lead to one having to treat a burn or two afterward. One would think James could manage to prevent his husband’s antics but often he ended up getting just as injured when something went sideways. 

At that moment someone interrupted the conversation. A fairly tall girl with a veritable waterfall of red hair stood, stretched, and turned to face the pair. 

“Pardon? Miss Schnee, I was wondering if I could be introduced to the young lady behind you?” Penny, although she tried not to stare, couldn’t help but notice the girl in front of her was incredibly fit, almost Amazonian. Mustering the least goofy looking smile she could, she turned to face the redhead. 

“Salutations! Penny Ironwood, pleased to make your acquaintance!” Penny bowed, rocking back on her heels, then stuck out her hand. The girl looked unphased, and simply smiled and shook with Penny. The two grinned at each other for a minute. Then the girl spoke.

“Pyrrha Nikos. I get the impression that you have a good deal of energy. Play any sports?” Penny had figured that Pyrrha was an athlete, but she still dreading having to answer the fairly innocent question.

“Not at the moment, no. I haven’t done anything organized for a good deal of time. May I ask what you do? I would assume you do something, on account of…” At this point, Penny halted herself before she said something she would regret. 

Blake, who had been silently observing up until that point, decided to interject before this went sideways. 

“Pyrrha over here is next in line for the captain of our cross country team. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the team is experiencing a slight deficit in members?”

Pyrrha nodded, clearly relieved by the turn in the conversation. “That’s right. I would recommend the team if you want something to do, practice is fairly relaxed and the meets are optional.” 

Although it sounded fun, Penny decided she would consult Qrow before deciding anything. 

“That sounds simply wonderful! But I believe it would be best to give a confirmation tomorrow, I am still not quite aware of how my schedule is supposed to work” Penny was happy with her reply, and decided then and there that she would join, she just needed to work out a few things before she could be ready.

“Well then, if the three of you are done, I don’t believe I’m getting paid to watch you talk.” Winter was clearly joking, but she kept her gaze stern as she explained the project the lot of them were walking on. It was a sketch of the surrounding area with one twist, the students had to style or shade it in a way that could be deemed “unique” At this Winter gestured over to a humming Ruby, who appeared to be recreating the hillside using only well-placed letters. She paid no notice to Penny, who was grateful for the chance to just sit in the shade and work. The rest of the period passed in relative silence, the only noise seeming to come from the absent-minded Ruby, who was occasionally pelted by a piece of bark coming from Weiss’s general direction. Although nothing was proven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the main ship is introduced. I really should start an actual storyboard for this thing. I have a couple moments that I have very clearly envisioned, with no idea of where to put them.


	4. It's called (freefall)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Advance warning for a slightly more tumultuous (and slightly shorter than usual) chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would've included this one and the next as one thing but I think they work better as two separate chapters. Next chapter should be up tomorrow. Also, this chapter was done pretty quickly and might get updated in terms of descriptive writing, I just had this whole thing planned out mentally and wanted to write it before I forget it.

Even if the previous class had passed smoothly, Penny’s day was far from over. The next part of her day would test her resolve, her spirit, and her digestive capabilities.

Penny was cautiously optimistic. “It’s finally lunch.”

Blake turned to her, wearing an overly serious expression. “Yes, lunch.” The two stared up at the building, which seemed to exude a menacing aura.

“Shut the fuck up its just lunch.” Yang seemed to materialize from out of nowhere, sidling up to the others. Blake seemed puzzled, head tilted at an odd angle as if contemplating the blonde. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be in lit mag or whatever cursed art form you partake in?” Yang did a double take at the suggestion.

“And miss the maiden voyage of the SS Hazard over here? You can’t get rid of me that easily.” Penny sighed a tiny bit, it was barely audible yet Blake seemed to pick up on it almost immediately. 

“Yang, I know this may be a difficult concept to grasp, but maybe, just maybe, you should be a tad bit more sympathetic.” Yang was clearly taken aback, and Penny could see a subtle shift in her posture, almost as if this were some kind of bizarre boxing match, both fighters knowing each other so well that the outcome was irrelevant in comparison to the fight itself. 

The retort was delivered in a lilted voice, it would almost have been funny if it wasn’t so insincere. 

“ Penny, I must apologize, for it appears I have been rather uninformed to your plight. It must be difficult, having to adjust to a new social situation. I would imagine you have been feeling a good amount of stress, and your particular situation likely isn’t helping.” This was topped off with a mock bow, Yang was clearly so far gone she hadn’t even realized what she had just said. Blake, however, was very much keyed into the response and expressed a noticeable interest in the final words. 

“Situation? Yang, if this is some familial bullshit then I’d rather not be involved.” With that Blake turned and started up the hill, leaving a visibly red Penny standing next to a frowning Yang.

Penny was unsure what this situation called for. While she was very much angry, Yang was likely going to be a good ally to have here. Best to try and resolve this peacefully. 

“Yang? Why would you say that?” The taller girl refused to look her in the eye.

“Look. You know me. You know that I don’t particularly deal well with tough situations. I tend to resort to some pretty underhanded shit. That was my bad. But while the two of us are here, we should talk.” Penny wasn’t sure of much right now, but she was absolutely positive she didn’t want to have this conversation. 

“I can handle myself. I don’t need you to look after me. I made a choice, and so far that choice seems to have worked for me. If you don’t agree with it, then why did you convince me to make it in the first place?” Yang was struck by the words, showing what Penny was pretty sure was the only genuine emotion she had seen from the blonde thus far. 

“That isn’t fair. I’m worried about you. This is a pretty small town, and you could encounter some major problems if anything ever came up. As much as I hate to say it, maybe it would have been better if Asher had shown up today.” The words were out of her mouth before she even realized what she had said. Penny was as livid as her cheerful demeanor could allow her to be. She considered a retort, choosing instead to start sprinting down the hill as fast as her legs could carry her. 

The sprint was brought to a screeching halt as Penny slammed into someone walking up. 

“Oh my, are you okay? That was quite the run.” Pyrrha’s concerned gaze was enough to put Penny at some ease. 

This ease was quickly forgotten as soon as realized her legs were spread wide apart. Penny watched in terror as Pyrrha’s gaze followed her own, both of them blushing profusely. Pyrrha was the first to say something. 

“Ah. Well, I suppose that explains a bit.” Penny was too mortified to speak, choosing to simply rod, already planning another mad dash. 

“You know, I myself don’t particularly care about that, but if that was your reasoning for not wanting to run with others, I believe I may be able to help you. We have someone on our team with a similar situation.” Pyrrha clearly wanted to say more, but her politeness was reassuring. 

“I would be honored to join! You are sure such a thing would be okay?” Pyrrha looked at Penny, mulling it over. 

“As I said, we have another individual similar to yourself, and we also happen to have a certain red blur on our team. She thinks the world of you, and I doubt she would let anyone bring any actual harm to you. Now, I myself need to get something to eat, care to join me?” 

“That sounds wonderful!” The two girls started back up the hill, each feeling a little better than they had before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, needs work but I think the basic thing is enough to keep the story going. Will Penny ever actually get something to eat? Probably not.
> 
> P.S. I may have stolen Penny's deadname from a personal favorite fic of mine. I swear it was done out of respect.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for more boring stuff, but I really would appreciate feedback, what with this being my first time writing a fanfic period.


End file.
